The internet has given us an amazing opportunity to "build [our] brands," as Chad Fowler points out in this week's short chapter from My Job Went To India.

There are two aspects to consider when building your personal brand: recognition and respect. Chad uses the swastika as the prime example of branding for awareness without positive association: almost everyone in the western world would think of Nazis when they see it (recognition), even if they have no respect for it.

On the other hand, you could also be like Minor Threat are to Blink 182, or the Ramones are to the Backstreet Boys - as Chad puts it about Charlie Wood, relatively "no recognition and lots of respect."

Ideally, you'd have lots of recognition and respect.

You can start by making sure you don't have a negative image.
Don't be a jerk, especially online. The search engines won't easily forget, which means prospective employers (and dates!) will be able to find out how often you've been an asshole. If you're near the top of those search results, you could soon be singing with Cher.

But you can go further than not being a jerk. You can show that you're taking an interst in self-improvement, that you're passionate about what you do to the point of discussing, learning, or doing it outside of work, and that while you don't know everything, you're actively filling the gaps as you encounter them.

You can gain respect.

It's easier to gain recognition by being negative or catering to the lowest common denominator than by earning the respect of your peers. That's called selling out. If you can do both, with just a modicum of success ... can you imagine the potential you have?

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